One
by Cotton and Cash
Summary: Haruno Sakura once thought that ninja led glorious lives full of honor and bravery and chivalry, and now all she thinks is that there is no honor in murder and blood always covers up the cowardice and chivalry most certainly is dead. Sakura-centric.


When Sakura came home that day and announced to her parents that she wanted to go to the Academy and become a ninja, her Father stopped reading the newspaper and her Mother dropped the dish she was holding in her hand.

That was the day meek, shy little Sakura threw her first tantrum; her Mother reluctantly agreed to take the girl to register the following day and her Father continued reading his newspaper.

On her second day of school, Sakura sees a young boy with bright blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes playing by himself near the edge of the playground and almost joins him, but decides not to at the last second because she's already got enough problems fitting in despite herself.

Three days later, an older, bigger girl pushes her in the mud and calls her names and her friends laugh as Sakura cries, too embarrassed and frustrated and scared to do anything else.

Yamanaka Ino is Haruno Sakura's hero.

It surprises her when Uchiha Sasuke tells her she's holding the kunai wrong and shows her how to do it, but it surprises her even more when she realizes that he's kind of cute, probably because she'd only just started to come out of the "boys have cooties" stage.

Seven years from now, she'll look back on these days and realize that her Mother was right when she told her that a girl's first crush is always the sweetest, just as a girl's first love is always the bitterest.

Team Seven is not at all what she thought it would be, but since she can't exactly complain, she'll just try to make the best of it.

The first time she finds herself in a life or death situation, she's so afraid that she thinks privately that death might be preferable.

It's not until many years later that she realizes this is the moment when she opens her eyes and discovers that she really has no idea what she's signed up for.

Haruno Sakura once thought that ninja led glorious lives full of honor and bravery and chivalry, and now all she thinks is that there is no honor in murder and blood always covers up the cowardice and chivalry most certainly is dead.

She believes the day that Uchiha Sasuke knocked her out and left her on a bench is the day that she loses sight of everything that is right and good in the world, because that is the day that she stops believing in fairy tales and happily ever afters.

Resignation is nothing new to Sakura, but determination is, and she thinks that her throat might permanently close as she stands on trembling legs before the Godaime Hokage and practically demands that she train her.

Sakura never complains, even when she can barely feel her legs after a particularly brutal training session with her Shishou, partly because she's afraid of what her punishment will be but mostly because for the first time in her life, she feels as if she's doing something right.

Sometimes Sakura wonders when the blood will wash off so she can feel clean again.

One thousand and ninety-five days is what it takes for Sakura to allow herself to hope once more; it is no coincidence that this is how long it takes for Uzumaki Naruto to return to Konohagakure.

If anyone were to ask, she would deny that she kept count.

Seeing the look of complete shock in the great Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi's, eye when she splintered the ground with a single punch was immensely satisfying and, yes, she does feel rather smug about it.

Although she would probably never admit it to anyone but Tsunade, her battle with Akasuna no Sasori was one of the most thrilling moments of her life.

Irony is something that Sakura can appreciate, since the world seems determined to throw as much of it at her as it can.

None of them can help but wonder how it is that when you need them the most, the right words always escape you.

Perhaps if she had been a little bit more prepared, she would have been able to handle the rush of emotions and memories that slammed into her the second she met Uchiha Sasuke's eyes for the first time in three years.

No matter how offensive Sai's blunt comments can be, they're all mostly relieved that they don't have to pretend around him.

Traitor is one word that Sakura is all too familiar with, and it is also the only word that she refuses to give power to, since it's the one word that can hurt her the most if she allows it.

Once, Sakura's favorite flower was a daffodil, but now she thinks she understands the beauty of the cyclamen with startling clarity.

Superstitions have never been her thing, but when she happens upon a poisonous snake while on a simple mission to collect medicinal herbs, Sakura can't ignore the feeling that something is about to happen.

Upon discovery of Team Hebi, she makes a silent promise that she will never laugh at her Shishou's "feelings" ever again.

Jiraiya's death hit her just as hard as everyone else even though she barely knew him, because it taught her that there really was no such thing as invincible.

Revenge has always been a subject she couldn't bring herself to understand, because she didn't have the ability to hold grudges and because she's already seen what it could lead a man to.

Watching Naruto vow that he would exact his vengeance for the death of his godfather, friend, and mentor was possibly the hardest thing she's ever had to do.

Konohagakure has always been home to her, a safe haven, a fortress of peace and comfort, so she was frankly astonished when she realized that it, too, was finite.

War was something that Sakura had been preparing for since the day she entered the Academy, but she never thought that she'd actually find herself in the middle of one.

They'd always praised her for her intelligence and her sharp insight, but sometimes Sakura wishes that she were merely average in these areas; knowing what is coming before it does is a terrible gift indeed.

Naruto had always told her to believe in him and she did; Sasuke had always told her that she was annoying, and so she was; Kakashi had always thought her weak, and she did nothing to disprove him; Tsunade had taught her to be strong, and she'd been an eager pupil.

All she was now is alone.


End file.
